Quang Vu, 34, expressed relief after completing his road test at 9 p.m. at the Mien Dong Driving Test Center in Long Thanh My Ward, formerly District 9, TP HCM. He had waited five months for this moment. Vu arrived at the center at 7 a.m. to complete the written and simulated driving tests and then waited until evening for the final road test.

Driving students line up at the starting line for the road test at the Mien Dong Driving Test Center in late July. Photo: Dinh Van

Driving students line up at the starting line for the road test at the Mien Dong Driving Test Center in late July. Photo: Dinh Van

Vu applied for his license in 12/2024 and was initially scheduled to test in 2/2025. However, his exam was postponed multiple times. When he learned about the night exams in late July, he practiced driving at the test center during the evening hours to acclimate himself to the conditions. "It was a long day to complete the test," Vu said, "but I’m glad it's finally over after such a long wait."

Nearly 800 other candidates joined Vu that day, filling two rooms at the testing center. Each spent over half a day completing the four components of the car driving test. Even late at night, nearly 20 cars queued for the road test, while others observed their peers navigate slopes and turns in the dark.

Vu is one of tens of thousands of candidates who have taken the night exam since mid-July. The TP HCM traffic police introduced these extended hours to address a backlog of 119,000 applications. The backlog resulted from a pause in testing during the transfer of licensing responsibilities from the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) to the Traffic Police Department (Ministry of Public Security). Lieutenant Colonel Le Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Mien Dong Driving Test Center, said a 12-person board was established with the traffic police to expedite the testing and processing of applications.

Traffic police check a student’s documents before the practical exam. Photo: Thanh Tung

Traffic police check a student’s documents before the practical exam. Photo: Thanh Tung

Since mid-July, the center has operated over 16 hours daily, accommodating nearly 800 car and 1,400 motorcycle license applicants each day. Sometimes, after the last candidate finishes at 9:30 p.m., the testing board works until midnight to finalize records and enter data, ensuring daily completion to prevent further backlog accumulation.

In addition to extended hours, a change in the testing process has also helped reduce the backlog. Previously, failing the written test meant disqualification from the remaining three tests, requiring candidates to reschedule. Now, candidates can complete all four tests in one day, retaking only the failed sections later. Nguyen Xuan Thuc, deputy director of the Hoc Mon Driving Training and Testing Center, explained that the traffic police, under Circular 05, now allow candidates to proceed to the practical exam even if they fail the written test.

The four required tests are, in order: written traffic law, simulated driving, road test, and controlled course. "This new process saves time for applicants and reduces the burden on the testing center," Thuc said.

For the night exams, the center installed street-level lighting to improve visibility. Reflective paint on curves and slopes aids drivers in gauging speed and maneuvers. Thuc noted initial concerns about the difficulty of night driving, but experience from numerous testing sessions has shown minimal impact.

The Traffic Police Department reports that over 713,000 candidates have completed testing in over 2,000 sessions nationwide in the past three months. Provinces and cities with significant backlogs, including TP HCM, Can Tho, Lam Dong, and Dong Nai, have processed between 26,000 and 111,000 applications.

TP HCM traffic police check a candidate’s documents before the written test. Photo: Thanh Tung

TP HCM traffic police check a candidate’s documents before the written test. Photo: Thanh Tung

Colonel Nguyen Quang Nhat, head of the Traffic Police Department's Traffic Safety Education and Accident Investigation Division, stated that traffic police across the country established dedicated teams and trained examiners in preparation for the task transfer.

To address the backlog of over 705,000 applications accumulated during the transition, several solutions were implemented: new testing procedures, increased testing frequency, night exams, and realignment of testing centers. The number of testing sessions has steadily increased each month. According to Colonel Nhat, these measures have effectively cleared the backlog, and the issue is expected to be resolved by mid-August.

Dinh Van